The Macy’s at one corner of Waterbury’s Brass Mill Center went dark more than two years ago amid retail struggles nationally and declining popularity of the city’s mall. Now, two brothers who own Ashley Homestores in Newington and Manchester have paid $3.3 million for the shuttered 161,744-square-foot building, with big plans for a retail turnabout. […]
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The Macy’s at one corner of Waterbury’s Brass Mill Center went dark more than two years ago amid retail struggles nationally and declining popularity of the city's mall.
Now, two brothers who own Ashley Homestores in Newington and Manchester have paid $3.3 million for the shuttered 161,744-square-foot building, with big plans for a retail turnabout.
Sami and Nazeeh Abunasra are the principals of a limited liability company that purchased the former Macy’s property, and 11.45 associated acres, in a deed logged July 21.
The hope, Sami Abunasra said, is to transform that corner of the mall into a retail plaza, much like the bustling Brass Mill Commons property located just west of the mall on Union Street.
The roughly 200,000-square-foot Commons is anchored by a Dick’s Sporting Goods store, and hosts popular retailers like TJ Maxx, Barnes & Noble and Petco.
Abunasra said he plans to reconfigure the former Macy’s site into a plaza of separate retailers. An Ashley outlet will occupy about 30,000 square feet, he said. He hasn't, however, ruled out additional, non-retail uses.
For example, a separately owned building on the grounds of the Brass Mill Commons hosts the nonprofit State Education Resource Center.
Abunasra is also exploring the potential of adding free-standing retail buildings among the expansive parking lot. Final designs will depend on discussions with the owner of the attached mall property, as well as city officials, Abunasra said.
So far, all parties have been agreeable, he said.
“I think this location is probably the best retail location in all of Waterbury,” said Abunasra, who is also currently pursuing final permitting for a 150-unit apartment development in West Hartford. “It’s right off the highway. The visibility is amazing.”
The remainder of the 1.2 million-square-foot mall property is split between two owners.
Transformco Properties, of Illinois, owns a 135,503-square-foot portion that caps the mall’s west side, as well as a free-standing 22,144-square-foot building. The buildings previously hosted a Sears and Sears Auto Center, both of which closed several years ago.
In April 2022, Long Island-based Kohan Retail Investment Group bought the central 907,612-square-foot portion of the mall for $18.9 million.
Kohan also paid $26 million for the 196,496-square-foot Brass Mill Commons, the far smaller, but more popular neighboring retail center.
Less than a year later, in February 2023, Kohan put the Commons up for sale, with an asking price of $30 million. That property, being brokered by Pennsylvania-based Forged Realty, remains on the market.
The sale of the Macy’s site was touted by Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary as affirmation of the area’s enduring potential.
“The sale of Macy’s to a national furniture store confirms that the mall is still a viable retail site,” O’Leary said. “Hopefully this will attract other buyers and tenants. This is good news for Waterbury.”
